Constitutional Proposals

• Meech Lake Accord (1987).
  • Really an omnibus agreement containing 2 parts:
    • An agreement between Canada and Québec to delegate total control of the reception and integration of any immigrants that settle in that province (This agreement was later finalised).
    • The constitutional accord, highlights of which follows:
  • Quebec had 5 demands that needed to be fulfilled before they could sign 1982 constitution "with dignity and honour":
    • A constitutional veto (meaning any one province could block any constitutional amendment)
    • The recognition that Québec is a 'distinct society'
    • The right to have Supreme Court Justices appointed from names on lists created by the province
    • The limitation of the federal spending power, namely, the allowance for a province to withdraw from a national program to create its own with federal monies
    • Greater provincial control of immigration, by automatically constitutionalizing inter-governmental agreements relating to that.
  • Expired after 3 years, on June 23, 1990. On that date, the House of Commons and eight of the ten provincial legislatures had ratified the accord. However, Aboriginal MLA Elijah Harper of the Manitoba legilature blocked a ratification vote in that province. Newfoundland premier Clyde Wells, having reversed the previous government's ratification saw this as an apparent defeat for the accord, and consequently refused to hold a ratification vote in his legislature.

• Canada's Future Together (1991).
  • This paper served as the basis for the Charlottetown Accord
  • in English
  • en français

• Charlottetown Accord (1992). The unofficial consensus report of August 28, 1992 and the draft legal texts are here. The salient points follow
  • Virtually a rehash of the Meech Lake Accord.
  • "Canada Clause" which entrenched ethnic duality, rather than bilingual characteristics.
  • Included a "Triple-E" Senate (Equal by province).
  • Included a commitment to negotiate right to self-government of First Nations.
  • Included social charter to complement the "Canada Clause"
  On October 26, 1992, separate referenda in Canada and in Québec rejected the accord, albeit for different reasons. As a result, the Mulroney government and the Premiers let the accord "die."